BCCI action on RR captain Riyan Parag, fined 25% of match fee after video of vaping in dressing room went viral

Delhi. Rajasthan Royals captain Ryan Parag was fined 25 percent of his match fee on Thursday. The fine was imposed on him for damaging the image of the game after he was caught on camera vaping (e-cigarette) during an IPL match against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. Parag’s actions were widely criticized on social media during the Royals’ innings on Tuesday night.

On-field umpires Tanmay Srivastava and Nitin Menon did not complain about the matter to match referee Amit Sharma immediately after the end of the match. They did so when they saw video evidence of it. Sharma then found Parag guilty of violating the code of conduct as per IPL rules. For level one offences, there is a provision of 25 per cent deduction from the match fee and one demerit point.

“Ryan has accepted the offense and the punishment imposed by match referee Amit Sharma,” the IPL said in a statement. According to the statement, “In order to maintain the reputation of the IPL, the BCCI is also considering other options to take strict action against the erring team, its officials and players.”

When BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia was asked about possible action against Rajasthan Royals, he said, “As clearly written in the statement, we are considering what action should be taken against the team. No decision has been taken on this yet.” The Government of India had banned e-cigarettes in 2019, under which their production, sale and distribution is completely prohibited.

According to the law, for a first-time offence, the culprit can face a jail term of up to one year and/or a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh. Rule 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct states that this rule is designed to cover all types of conduct that damage the image of the game and are not explicitly mentioned elsewhere in the Code of Conduct (in particular Rule 2.20).

For example, Rule 2.21 may (depending on the severity and context of the offense) prohibit the following (though not limited to): (a) public misconduct; (b) undisciplined behavior in public places and (c) inappropriate comments which are prejudicial to the interests of the game.

Assessing the seriousness of the offense will take into account the context of the particular situation and whether the act was intentional, reckless, inadvertent, avoidable, and/or a fortuitous event. Additionally, the person reporting the matter will determine the seriousness of the conduct (seriousness ranges from minor offenses (i.e. a Level 1 offense) to extremely serious offenses (i.e. a Level 4 offense).

Parag’s crime was a level one crime and hence no trial was required. Parag was seen smoking e-cigarette (also known as vaping) in the dressing room during the live telecast of the match against Punjab Kings. By winning this match, Royals broke the consecutive winning streak of Punjab Kings in the tournament. This is not the first controversy associated with the Royals this season.

Earlier this month, team manager Romi Bhinder was fined Rs 1 lakh for breaking PMOA rules after he was found using a phone in the dugout. IPL and BCCI officials, who are responsible for the running of the IPL, called it a careless act in this age of social media and TV cameras keeping an eye on everything. The Royals team will now host Delhi Capitals at their home ground on Friday night.